The Great Opium ‘Curse!’

Image of the Day: The Old Military Ploy of Targeting Civilians

Up to 100 civilians were killed in the U.S. air strikes in western Afghanistan, Afghan officials said. Houses were reduced to rubble in Bala Boluk. The majority of dead were said to be women and children, with many more, such as this child injured. The violence happened on Tuesday after Taliban militants attacked a police checkpoint in Farah province. The civilians were said to have been killed as they sheltered from the fighting. Villagers raked through the rubble to find survivors and bodies with their hands. About 25 militants were also said to have died. The U.S. said it would send a military team to investigate the claim of civilian deaths, and Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai also ordered an investigation. Image: AFP. Caption: BBC News. Image may be subject to copyright.